Trees And Power

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dozens of residents Saturday picked through the shredded remains of homes leveled by a tornado that twisted through three eastern Iowa communities a night earlier. Destruction was visible across Muscatine County and surrounding areas, where the tornado, with winds between 136 to 140 mph, cut through businesses and homes and knocked down trees and power lines.

The chilly gusts that blew through Central Florida Saturday -- causing power outages, sparking small fires and endangering boaters and drivers -- has moved on, said meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Melbourne. The forceful winds were the result of a "tight pressure gradient," which is what happens when two different weather systems collide, said NWS meteorologist Tim Sedlock. Today's winds are expected to clock in at 10-15 mph, a big change from Saturday when gusts of up to 45 mph were recorded, Sedlock said.

Major damage: No public infrastructure damage reported; some downed trees and power lines. Power: Florida Progress reported 11,500 customers without power. Food/Shelter: Shelters closed at noon Saturday. Sanitation: No boil-water notices issued. Any questions on water quality may be directed to the Lake County Health Department at 352-253-6130. Today: Thunderstorms expected. Regular trash pickup resumes Monday.

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dozens of residents Saturday picked through the shredded remains of homes leveled by a tornado that twisted through three eastern Iowa communities a night earlier. Destruction was visible across Muscatine County and surrounding areas, where the tornado, with winds between 136 to 140 mph, cut through businesses and homes and knocked down trees and power lines.

Violent rainstorms driven by winds gusting up to 93 mph wreaked chaos on the French Riviera, leaving three people dead and dozens injured, police reported Sunday. The storms Saturday night dumped 3 1/2 inches of rain on the parched hillsides and beaches of southeastern France, causing flash floods. The winds and rain toppled trees and power lines and caused mudslides.

It was the West Coast earthquake of late summer 2001 -- a Santa Barbara band that hit the international music scene. Following the way charted by local predecessor the Ataris, Sugarcult has managed to send ripples of sound from coast to coast and across continents. On the sheer force of its rock, the band is keeping its momentum with a new coastal album that Floridians should especially appreciate: music paying tribute to Palm Trees and Power Lines, the record's title. Appropriately, the sounds of Sugarcult's second album have gone to the beach -- they've cooled down and mellowed out. Without losing much of its emotional edge, the band's music on Palm Trees isn't bouncing off the walls the way it was three years ago. Rather, like a bashful young beachgoer, the style is both confident and vulnerable, as described by guitarist Marko.

Strong thunderstorms pounded central and southeast Kansas Friday, knocking out power to thousands of residents and stranding dozens of motorists in flash floods. Wichita firefighters rescued a pregnant woman who began having labor pains as her car was trapped in 3 feet of water. Fire officials said a pumper truck took the woman to a Wichita hospital, where she gave birth. KGE, an electricity supplier, said nearly 20,000 customers lost power after wind gusts as high as 60 miles an hour downed trees and power lines.

HOUSTON - A storm during the morning rush hour caused chaos in the Houston area Monday, downing trees and power lines, and causing long delays on the roads and power outages in parts of the city. High winds, heavy rain and lightning swept across the area at about 6 a.m., but the worst appeared to be over by 9 a.m. Officials said flooding had occurred in some low-lying areas, several mobile homes were blown off their foundations, and high winds tore the roofs from some apartments. The storm knocked out power to about 160,000 customers.

A severe storm and strong winds caused damage Monday throughout Orange County, knocking down trees and power lines and, in one neighborhood, damaging homes.In the Deer Creek subdivision in south Orange County, a screened enclosure was flattened, trees were knocked down and roofs were damaged.Elsewhere, power lines were blown down.An official at the National Weather Service in Melbourne said the damage was caused by high winds that accompanied an evening thunderstorm but that no tornado activity was reported.

A vintage World War II plane crashed shortly after taking off from a suburban airport north of Houston Thursday, but no one was seriously injured. A pilot and two passengers walked away from the wreckage of the twin-engine DC-3 plane, which clipped trees and power lines and smashed a pickup before skidding to a stop in front of a house near the Montgomery County airport. Propellers hit the house, but a woman and three children inside were unharmed.

PALM BEACH -- On Worth Avenue, Florida's own version of Rodeo Drive, Hurricane Frances left the once-perfect awnings of Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste and Dior flapping in the fierce wind like soggy laundry on a clothesline. The exclusive island town was so ravaged by the storm that police kept its mansion-dwelling residents from returning to their estates Sunday despite phone calls pleading for access and attempts to cross the bridge from the mainland. Palm Beach police Chief Mike Reiter said fallen power lines, trees and severe flooding made the island too dangerous for residents to begin getting their lives back to normal -- which in this tony town means multimillion-dollar homes surrounded by lush tropical landscaping and blue ocean.

Some hurricane tidbits and letters: Dear Mike: I have never experienced a hurricane and I have a protocol question. Are you supposed to be nice to your neighbors all the way through the cleanup phase or just until power is restored? Gene Pickler Oviedo Dear Gene: This is an excellent question, and one we planned to address in at least 14 stories in tomorrow's newspaper now that we're running out of things to write about the loss of electrical power. But since you asked, here is a brief outline of Hurricane Good Neighbor Protocol.

You survived 100-mph winds, toppled trees and a weeklong power outage and you are wondering what may be next. How about rats? Those massive piles of debris lining Central Florida's streets, health officials warn, make an attractive home for rats, mice, raccoons, snakes and other critters. "They look for cover like that," said Lori Cunniff, the manager of Orange County's environmental protection division. "They like brush piles." There has been no rash of rodent sightings, but the county's epidemiologist echoed Cunniff in warning that the piles of debris could pose a problem by providing shelter for creatures displaced by the storm.

Major damage: No public infrastructure damage reported; some downed trees and power lines. Power: Florida Progress reported 11,500 customers without power. Food/Shelter: Shelters closed at noon Saturday. Sanitation: No boil-water notices issued. Any questions on water quality may be directed to the Lake County Health Department at 352-253-6130. Today: Thunderstorms expected. Regular trash pickup resumes Monday.

Major damage: Downed trees and power lines, with the worst damage occurring in the northern part of the county. Power: Florida Power & Light reported 25,000 customers without power in Titusville and Cocoa. It is uncertain when power will be restored to all its customers. Transportation: All roads are open. Space Coast Area Transit is operating on a regular schedule. People with special needs must call to schedule an appointment for pickup. Melbourne International Airport is operational.

Orlando's misery index shot up Saturday as thousands of people without electrical power sweated in stifling heat or spent the afternoon removing giant oaks uprooted by an unusually violent overnight thunderstorm. Fallen trees from the storm sliced power lines, blocked streets and crushed cars, boats and even homes in portions of Orange County, leaving more than 15,000 customers without power. Late Saturday night, 2,000 customers in the Conway and Belle Isle area were still without power from that storm.

Major damage: Downed trees and power lines, with the worst damage occurring in the northern part of the county. Power: Florida Power & Light reported 25,000 customers without power in Titusville and Cocoa. It is uncertain when power will be restored to all its customers. Transportation: All roads are open. Space Coast Area Transit is operating on a regular schedule. People with special needs must call to schedule an appointment for pickup. Melbourne International Airport is operational.

A 63-year-old Paisley man was killed Monday when winds blew down a pine tree that crushed the right side of the van in which he was a passenger.Cecil Clinton Cunningham was pronounced dead at West Volusia Memorial Hospital in DeLand, authorities said. Cunningham was killed during a storm that swept through Lake County about 5:45 p.m., the patrol reported.The driver of the van, Joy B. Klipple, 62, of Paisley, wasn't injured in the accident, which occurred on County Road 42 near Cameo Drive in Fullerville.

It was the West Coast earthquake of late summer 2001 -- a Santa Barbara band that hit the international music scene. Following the way charted by local predecessor the Ataris, Sugarcult has managed to send ripples of sound from coast to coast and across continents. On the sheer force of its rock, the band is keeping its momentum with a new coastal album that Floridians should especially appreciate: music paying tribute to Palm Trees and Power Lines, the record's title. Appropriately, the sounds of Sugarcult's second album have gone to the beach -- they've cooled down and mellowed out. Without losing much of its emotional edge, the band's music on Palm Trees isn't bouncing off the walls the way it was three years ago. Rather, like a bashful young beachgoer, the style is both confident and vulnerable, as described by guitarist Marko.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The threat of rolling blackouts hovered over 1.5 million Californians on Thursday after an ocean storm crippled nuclear plants while other electric-generating stations were closed for maintenance. "It's going to get ugly," said Pat Dorinson of the state Independent System Operator, keeper of much of the power grid. He said the state was "losing megawatts by the hour." Electricity shortages linked to California's botched deregulation of the power industry have produced soaring prices and sporadic threats of blackouts in the state since June.